NAB To Congress: Check Into Spectrum Hoarding By Time Warner Cable, Dish

In a letter to the leadership of both the House and Senate Commerce Committees, National Association of Broadcasters President Gordon Smith wrote that Congress should look into what NAB calls spectrum speculation and/or hoarding by satellite and cable companies, singling out Dish Network and Time Warner Cable.

Smith referred to various reports that cable and satellite operators are warehousing spectrum, and have admitted as much on calls with investors, while the government is asking broadcasters to give up more than a third of their remaining spectrum holdings (120 MHz) for wireless broadband. The issue has gained momentum with the President's call for a National Wireless Plan to reach 98% of Americans with 4G wireless broadband within five years. Smith said broadcasters would not oppose voluntarily relinquishing spectrum, but would strongly oppose a forcible return and forced relocation to bandwidth that would "harm viewers ability to receive full high-definition TV, niche programming choices via multicasting, and live and local mobile digital television." The FCC is proposing to move broadcasters into the VHF band, where reception is not as good as UHF for DTV signals. The commission is also looking for ways to improve VHF. Smith recommended that the Government Accountability Office review Spectrum hoarding/speculation to find out how companies and government are "using or warehousing" spectrum.